2012年1月31日星期二
Sony PlayStation tablets dated, priced
Sony has announced launch timing and pricing details for its two PlayStation certified Sony Tablets. "Optimised for rich media entertainment" and coming in three models starting at £399, the single-screen Sony Tablet S features a 9.4 inch touchscreen display with 1GB RAM, up to 32GB storage, infra-red remote control, Wi-Fi and optional 3D. The Wi-Fi version launches in September and the 3G model in November."Geared for mobile communication entertainment" with a folding design and dual 5.5 inch touchscreen displays, Sony Tablet P will arrive in November for £499.00. It offers 512MB RAM, 4GB of on-board storage, Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity and is foldable to achieve dimensions of 79x180x26mm "to fit in a pocket".First revealed in April, the tablets boast NVIDIA Tegra 2 mobile processors, front and rear facing cameras for picture and video capture, with Wi-Fi only models running on Android 3.1, which will be upgradable to Android 3.2, and Wi-Fi/3G models powered by Android 3.2.Like Xperia Play, the tablets will enable users to download PSone titles, as well as games from the Android Market. They'll also offer TV, movie and music content from the rebranded Video Unlimited and Music Unlimited services. Tom Ivan
2012年1月30日星期一
Halo 4's Master Chief in high-res art
Here's a nice high-resolution piece of 'teaser art' of Master Chief as he will look in 343 Industries' Halo 4. It was actually much bigger than this, but we had to crunch down its immense resolution to a size more suitable for the internet than a banner for the side of the Empire State building. Halo 4 will, in case you missed the news, be the first game in the main series NOT made by Bungie, instead being handled by Microsoft studio 343 Industries. That studio talked of the pressures of gamers' expectations in this recent developer diary. Mike Jackson
2012年1月29日星期日
God Of War Studio Working On An Unannounc
The sad, revenge-fueled story of Kratos apparently came to an end with the release of Sony Santa Monica's God of War 3 last year. While there's little doubt that we'll see more of the ashy Spartan warrior at some point in the future, the studio has apparently shifted its efforts to focus on something entirely new.A Gamasutra job posting reveals that Sony Santa Monica is working on an "unannounced new IP." The open position is for a Senior Level Designer, and the listing further notes that candidates with experience developing an open world game are preferred. The God of War series is known for its very linear structure, so it seems that this new game will be a departure on more than one level.Source: Gamasutra
2012年1月28日星期六
Codemasters boss doubts 'premium Wii U pr
Codemasters boss Rod Cousens has expressed doubts that Nintendo will launch Wii U at "a premium price point". "I anticipate further price cuts on existing consoles prior to Christmas this year, and there's room for further price cuts next year. So Wii U needs to be very keenly priced," the exec told MCV."Pricing is critical in a very fragmented hardware space," he added. "So I am not sure they are going to be able to come out and hit a premium price point from the outset. But Nintendo is smart. It is always innovative. It has demonstrated its breakthrough ability in the past, so let's see if it can do it again. And the industry should cheer it on."Nintendo said earlier this week that it doesn't plan to announce the Wii U price or release date until next year.Following the console's announcement in June though, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata didn't beat around the bush when he said: "This is not going to be cheap."Around the same time, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said the console will offer consumers "fantastic value" for money and be "competitively" priced with PS3 and Xbox 360. Tom Ivan
2012年1月27日星期五
Modern Warfare 3 Hardened Edition content
At this rate there won't be much left for Activision to reveal at its Call of Duty XP event this weekend. A picture of what reportedly an ad for the Modern Warfare 3 Hardened Edition has seemingly revealed all its content. The premature reveal (pictured), which was supposed to be saved for the Call of Duty XP event, shows all the goodies you'll get in the special Hardened Edition package of Infinity Ward's new shooter. According to the poster - scooped by Wired, it'll contain: - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 game with unique disc art.- One year of membership in Call of Duty Elite.- "Founder status" on Elite with exclusive in-game emblem, player card, camouflage, clan XP boost and other exclusive benefits.- SteelBook case.- PlayStation Network exclusive: "Animated Timeline Theme."- Xbox 360 exclusive: "Special Ops Juggernaut Xbox Live Outfit."- Limited-edition "field journal" with more than 100 pages of "authentic military sketches, diagrams and written entries."Check back later this week for official confirmation and pricing. Mike Jackson
Sony stock hits 2011 low after Wii U Drag
Sony and Square Enix stocks have tumbled following the announcement of Wii and Wii U exclusive online RPG Dragon Quest X. The PS3 maker's stock has been falling for the past three days and today dropped to its lowest level this year. Leading economic paper Nikkei (via Andriasang) ran the headline 'Dragon Quest Shock Causes Decline' with its coverage of the news.The head of Rakuten Investment Management told the paper investors may be concerned that Dragon Quest X's no-show on Sony's console will impact its games business. Worries about the firm's television business and an overall market slowdown due to the appreciating yen have also impacted its stock.Meanwhile, Dragon Quest maker Square Enix's share price has dropped over ten percent since yesterday's announcement of the latest game in the series. Tom Ivan
Square Enix announces Wii U Dragon Quest
Square Enix has officially announced Dragon Quest X for Wii U and Wii, for release in 2012. Sharing the first details on the new instalment at a Japan press conference, the publisher confirmed that X - full title 'Dragon Quest X Mezameshi Itsutsu no Shuzoku' - is an online RPG in which players "form parties and co-exist with other players in an online world".Developed internally at Square Enix, DQX will see a Wii U release with updated visuals, the firm said, but both Wii U and Wii versions will support cross-platform play.The game will support the full gamut of Wii controls - Wiimote and Nunchuck, Classic Controller and Classic Controller Pro - and also includes functionality to plug in a USB keyboard.Official documents for the title also list a "usage fee" under TBA, suggesting Nintendo fans are going to have to pay a subscription charge for the game.Dragon Quest X will also support some connectivity with Nintendo 3DS, the publisher said, adding that it's thinking about implementing Spot Pass character exchanges on the handheld.Details on a public beta test for Dragon Quest X will be revealed shortly, Square Enix concluded. Andy Robinson
2012年1月19日星期四
Report Sony Knew the PSN Leak Was Huge,
According to a report from Kyodo News, citing official Japanese government documentation, Sony Computer Entertainment knowingly delayed telling the public about the extent of an attack on its PlayStation Network so as not to "bewilder" its customers.The report, submitted to the Japanese government and obtained under a freedom of information request, says that SCE was able to confirm internally on April 25 (American time) that a "fairly large amount of data" had been exposed to hackers. A press release issued the next day, however, only stated that Sony could not "rule out the possibility" that personal information had been compromised.It's also claimed that PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai gave incorrect information in a statement issued on May 1, in which he said Sony didn't learn about the extent of the attack until April 26 (American time), a full day later than the company confirmed matters internally.The official document also says that Sony delayed informing the public of the extent of the breach so as not to "bewilder" its customers, a spokesperson saying "We hadn't figured out (at that time) what kind of data had been leaked. If only passwords and IDs (were breached), they cannot be considered personal information, and so we didn't want to bewilder our customers."While being out by a day seems minor, that discrepancy combined with the gap between what Sony knew internally and what it told people publicly still raises the possibility - and this is why the Japanese government is looking into this - that, as Kyodo News puts it, Sony "deliberately attempted to downplay the seriousness of the situation by not fully disclosing information".Sony knew data breach was massive but withheld full disclosure [Kyodo news, subscription required]
2012年1月17日星期二
PS3 sales jump 400% in Australia
The PS3 price cut rolled out on August 22 led to a sales surge of over 400 percent in Australia during the week following its introduction. That's according to NPD Group Australia sales data gathered from national retailers and happily passed along by Sony.Sony Computer Entertainment Australia MD Michael Ephraim said: "This new price point really represents fantastic value for money as PlayStation 3 delivers full HD games, Blu-ray capability, plus music, movies, catch-up TV and more on demand."Australians love not only games, but also the quality home entertainment PS3 provides. Sales are booming because PlayStation 3 is the best device to connect to your TV, at incredible value, to provide the ultimate home entertainment experience."UK PS3 sales reportedly jumped 65 percent during the week following the price cut. Tom Ivan
2012年1月16日星期一
UK CHART Deus Ex topples Zumba Fitness
Square Enix's Deus Ex: Human Revolution has knocked 505 Games' Zumba Fitness of the top of the official UK weekly games chart. The action RPG, which has been developed by Eidos Montreal,sells just 26,000 units short of outperforming previous title Deus Ex: Invisible War's lifetime sales after being on the market for only two daysIt sells slightly more on Xbox 360 than any other format, with the format taking a 57 percent share of boxed sales. PS3 claims 31 percent, whilst PC takes home 13 percent. Zumba would have only needed one more week to have equalled the longest ever uninterrupted run at No.1, held by EA's FIFA: Road to the World Cup with 11 weeks.However it's a good week for 505 Games overall, with Rugby World Cup 2011 making its debut at No.3.Competitive pricing and the recent launch of the 4th map pack 'Rezurrection' on Xbox Live help send 'Call of Duty: Black Ops' back into the Top 10 at No.5 with an 83 percent week-on-week sales rise.The full gfK-ChartTrack/UKIE Top 20 All Formats chart for the week ending August 27th:1. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Square Enix)2. Zumba Fitness (505 Games)3. Rugby World Cup 2011 (505 Games)4. LEGO: Pirates of the Caribbean (Disney Interactive)5. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision)6. Cars 2 (Disney Interactive)7. FIFA 11 (EA)8. Dirt 3 (Codemasters)9. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Warner)10. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft)11. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (Nintendo)12. The Sims 3 (EA)13. Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows Part 2 (EA)14. Brink (Bethesda)15. Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo)16. Just Dance 2 (Ubisoft)17. LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (LucasArts)18. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (EA)19. Call of Juarez: The Cartel (Ubisoft)20. Homefront (THQ) CVG Staff
2012年1月15日星期日
New Black Wii Bundle Features A New Model
New Super Mario Bros. WiiNews (25)Previews (2)ReviewVideos (31)Screenshots (14)Cheats and Walkthroughs (25) Super Mario GalaxyNews (9)PreviewsReviewVideos (25)ScreenshotsCheats and Walkthroughs (17) Nintendo is releasing a new Wii bundle featuring the sexy looking black Wii, but this bundle has more than just a pretty face to it. Not only are NewSuper Mario Brothers Wii and the Super Mario Galaxy soundtrack included, but the actual console in the bundle is a new model that is designed for horizontal use. Instead of standing your Wii upright, you'll be able to rest it on its side with easy access to the ports and buttons. Sweet, right?The new BlackWii Bundle will hit stores on October 23 for $149.99.Wait, who still needs to buy a Wii?
2012年1月10日星期二
Assassin's Creed Revelations Multiplayer
Assassin's Creed: RevelationsNews (30)Previews (10)ReviewVideos (29)Screenshots (6)Cheats and WalkthroughsAssassin's Creed: RevelationsNews (31)Previews (10)ReviewVideos (29)Screenshots (6)Cheats and WalkthroughsAssassin's Creed: RevelationsNews (28)Previews (10)ReviewVideos (29)Screenshots (6)Cheats and Walkthroughs Assassin's Creed:Revelations will be upon us in just a few short weeks, and while we wait, X-Play's Morgan Webb got the chance to talk with Ubisoft Live Team's Andreane Meunier about the ways multiplayer is going to be even better than before. Get the scoop on the new modes you'll be playing. Assassin's Creed: Revelations Multiplayer Preview »
Final Fantasy XIII-2 UK release 'early 20
Final Fantasy XIII-2 is set for release this December in Japan and in January 2012 in the States, but we'll have to wait a little longer to get our hands on the game. According to Square Enix's latest release schedule, the game's set to launch in the UK in "early 2012".Set five years after Final Fantasy XIII, the highly anticipated RPG sequel sees protagonist Lightning disappear into an unknown world and her sister Serah Farron and a boy named Noel Kreiss try to find her.Get our thoughts on how development's progressing in this recently published Final Fantasy XIII-2 preview. Tom Ivan
40 staff cut at Mafia dev 2K Czech
Take-Two has cut around 40 jobs at Mafia maker 2K Czech. That's according to Develop, which claims 2K Czech has lost around a quarter of its 200 development staff spread across two studios based in Brno and Prague.Take-Two said in a statement that 2K Czech "has realigned its resources to streamline the development process, reduce costs and maximize studio performance".It added: "Our goal to create world-class video game titles remains unchanged... While this was a difficult decision, we believe it will benefit the studio in the long-term."2K Czech's most recent game was this year's well-received Top Spin 4. Tom Ivan